National on-highway diesel prices up 7 tenths of a penny

Taxes account for about 13 percent of diesel prices, while refining accounts for 15 percent of the total price, distribution and marketing account for about 14 percent of the retail price and crude oil claims the lion’s share, 58 percent of the price of a gallon.

The Trucker News Services

1/6/2014

National on-highway diesel prices were up 7 tenths of a penny Monday over the week prior, reaching $3.910 a gallon compared with the Dec. 30, 2013, price of $3.903, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Of the EIA’s 10 reporting regions, all but one, the Lower Atlantic sector, reported higher diesel prices. In the Lower Atlantic states truckers were seeing prices down by 9 tenths of a cent to $3.847 a gallon.

The California sector, which historically has higher prices than the rest of the nation, reported the highest increase at 1.5 cents to $4.119, compared with $4.104 the week before.

Truckers were paying 1.3 cents more in the Gulf Coast states to $3.802, while drivers in the Rocky Mountain region were paying 1.2 cents more, to $3.901 a gallon, on Monday.

In all, four EIA reporting regions showed diesel selling for more than $4 a gallon: New England at $4.115 a gallon; Central Atlantic at $4.046; the West Coast at $4.034 and above-mentioned California.

Taxes account for about 13 percent of diesel prices, while refining accounts for 15 percent of the total price, distribution and marketing account for about 14 percent of the retail price and crude oil claims the lion’s share, 58 percent of the price of a gallon.

However, because the refining, distribution and marketing take some time, diesel prices usually are out of sync with oil prices. In other words, when the price of oil is going down, diesel prices often are going up because they haven’t caught up, yet, with the latest oil prices.